Literary world rallies around debut author after tweet about disappointing book signing
Literary world rallies around debut author after tweet about disappointing book signing
Writing may be a solitary activity, but the response to one author’s tweet this week has shown that the sense of community among writers is huge.
On Sunday, debut author Chelsea Banning penned a tweet about her disappointment that a signing event for her fantasy novel, Of Crowns and Legends, had been poorly attended.
“Only 2 people came to my author signing yesterday, so I was pretty bummed about it,” she wrote. “Especially as 37 people responded ‘going’ to the event. Kind of upset, honestly, and a little embarrassed.”
But her tweet received the opposite of a small turnout: the post blew up in literary circles online, with numerous prominent authors responding or retweeting with stories about their own similar experiences.
Margaret Atwood tweeted, “Join the club,” in response to Banning, revealing that at one of her signings, no one came, “except a guy who wanted to buy some Scotch tape and thought I was the help.”
Neil Gaiman replied that Banning had a better turnout than he and Terry Pratchett did at a signing in Manhattan for their book Good Omens that apparently nobody attended.
“So you are two up on us,” he wrote. Good Omens has since had its own TV adaptation.
Terry Pratchett and I did a signing in Manhattan for Good Omens that nobody came to at all. So you are two up on us.
Novelist Stephen King, whose books have inspired numerous movie adaptations, joined the thread to add that he had one customer at the first signing for Salem’s Lot.
Jodi Picoult, who has written around 30 books, said that she has been sitting alone at a signing “many times,” with her only visitors being those wondering where the bathroom is.
I have sat lonely at a signing table many times only to have someone approach…and ask me where the bathroom is.
Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden tweeted that her first book signing was at a Costco, “between the sausage samples and the men’s sweatpants,” adding that the first person who had approached her asked who she was.
Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Crusted Snow, chimed in Tuesday to share that he and Cherie Dimaline – Governor General award-winner for The Marrow Thieves – held a book talk years ago that drew zero audience members.
“No one showed up, until a woman walking by stopped into the room looking for a place to feed her baby,” he wrote. “She felt bad for us and stayed!”
Did a signing at a book store in Berkeley, 2nd book, I think. No one showed up. NO ONE. The owner locked the doors and I sat on the floor in an aisle and read a passage to the owner, his employee, and the guy who was kind enough to drive me there (a friend).
I'm sorry that happened to you, Chelsea. I know how awful it feels, as it has happened to me too. Almost every author I know has had this experience at some point in their career. It isn't a reflection of you or your work!
Banning’s original tweet has over 2,400 replies and more than 68,000 likes as of Tuesday evening. It has sparked numerous news articles and blog posts, and has touched hearts across the entertainment spectrum, from actor Henry Winkler to rapper Flavor Flav.
A day after she tweeted about her book signing, Banning posted screenshots showing her book had jumped to number one on the Amazon list for Arthurian Fantasy, and she reported that she had sold out of stock for signed copies.
In a TikTok on Monday, she tearfully expressed her thanks for the response, saying she had been working on her novel since she was 14 years old.
“It’s been with me, like, over half my life,” she said. “I don’t have any words. These are happy tears, I promise.”
British Columbia is taking a major step forward in its fight against the province’s deadly overdose crisis by decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of certain illicit drugs for personal use.
Advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say new guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular.
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
The coronavirus remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Monday, after a key advisory panel found the pandemic may be nearing an 'inflection point' where higher levels of immunity can lower virus-related deaths.
Quebec's minister responsible for secularism, Jean-Francois Roberge, has called on Canada’s new special anti-Islamophobia advisor Amira Elghawaby to apologize and step down.
Members of Parliament return to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull has died at the age of 84. He played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and Hartford Whalers as well as the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets over a 23-year pro career.
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine displacing millions of people, many refugees have begun to lay their roots in Canada. If you or someone you know has fled the war-torn country and settled in Canada, we want to hear from you.
British Columbia is taking a major step forward in its fight against the province’s deadly overdose crisis by decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of certain illicit drugs for personal use.
A six-year-old girl died in hospital Sunday night after being involved in an incident at the Val-Saint-Côme ski resort in Lanaudiere. Quebec police are investigating, though details into the event are not yet known. Officers indicated that it involved a T-bar lift, but they were not able to say more.
Advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say new guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular.
The grisly aftermath of an alleged fatal shooting was described today during the murder trial of a former medical student accused of killing a fellow student in Halifax seven years ago.
Anti-poverty activists are praising the Quebec basic income program as a good step toward helping people meet their basic needs — but say strict eligibility criteria exclude many of the province’s lowest-income residents.
David Onley, a former lieutenant-governor for Ontario, was remembered Monday as a tireless advocate, a role model, a man of faith and a devoted husband, father and grandfather.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies have been put on notice by a prosecutor, but the warning didn't come from anyone at the Justice Department.
A suicide bomber struck a crowded mosque inside a police compound in Pakistan on Monday, causing the roof to collapse and killing at least 59 people and wounding more than 150 others, officials said.
The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for Monday's suicide bombing at a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar. The bombing is likely to strain relations further between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, who are sheltering the TTP leadership and fighters.
A sixth Memphis Police Department officer has been disciplined for his involvement in the brutal beating and arrest of Tyre Nichols, a department spokeswoman said Monday. Officer Preston Hemphill was relieved of duty shortly after the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols.
A mining corporation apologized for losing a highly radioactive capsule over a 1,400-kilometre stretch of Western Australia, as authorities combed parts of the road looking for the tiny but dangerous substance.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday called for South Korea to provide direct military support to Ukraine, saying Kyiv is in urgent need of weapons to fight off the prolonged Russian invasion.
Members of Parliament return to Ottawa to resume sitting for the first time in 2023 on Monday, with the state of Canada's health-care system, the health of the Canadian economy, and rates of violent crime in this country all top of mind.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will sit down with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this afternoon to discuss private health care ahead of next week's summit with premiers.
The federal government failed to spend tens of billions of dollars in the last fiscal year on promised programs and services, including new military equipment, affordable housing and support for veterans.
The world is 'dangerously unprepared' for future pandemics, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) say in a report published on Monday, calling on countries to update their preparedness plans by year-end.
Advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say new guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular.
While RSV and flu cases steadily decline in Canada, the World Health Organization is set to announce on Monday whether it still considers COVID-19 a global health emergency, but one infectious disease specialist says we still need to keep an eye on the coronavirus.
Chinese internet search major Baidu Inc is planning to launch an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot service similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT in March, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew will appear before the U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee in March, as lawmakers scrutinize the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.
YouTube superstar MrBeast is making the world clearer -- for at least 1,000 people. The content creator's latest stunt is paying for cataract removal for 1,000 people who were blind or near-blind but could not afford the surgery.
Ashley Judd says she had to re-enroll herself in trauma therapy to cope with the recent media coverage of her mother's death. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper published Monday, Judd said was forced to revisit her trauma when media outlets published pictures of the scene of her mother's death and the contents of a suicide note.
Tom Verlaine, guitarist and co-founder of the seminal proto-punk band Television who influenced many bands while playing at ultra-cool downtown New York music venue CBGB alongside the Ramones, Patti Smith and Talking Heads, has died. He was 73.
Faced with a tight labour market and a shortage of workers with key software engineering skills, some German companies are looking at thousands of layoffs in Silicon Valley as an opportunity to recruit top talent.
Most Black Canadians feel their employers made progress addressing anti-Black racism last year -- but they worry about what a recession could mean for those gains, a KPMG survey said.
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
Queen of clean Marie Kondo admits that tidying up is no longer top of her to-do list. Posting on her website shortly after the birth of her third child in 2021, the Japanese organization expert reflected on motherhood, saying she had 'eased up on herself' when it comes to tidying.
Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull has died at the age of 84. He played for the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and Hartford Whalers as well as the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets over a 23-year pro career.
Gymnastics Canada chief executive officer Ian Moss was on the hot seat at the status of women hearings on safety of women in sport on Monday. Moss was repeatedly questioned by MPs about Gymnastics Canada's handling of coaches Ian Bard and Scott McFarlane amid accusations he knew of complaints from athletes.
Ford Motor Co on Monday cut prices of its electric crossover SUV Mustang Mach-E by as much as US$5,900 per vehicle, weeks after rival Tesla Inc slashed prices globally on its electric vehicles by as much as 20 per cent.
Nissan and Renault have agreed to equalize the stakes they hold in each other, both sides said Monday, ironing out a source of conflict in the Japan-French auto alliance.
Hyundai cars in Canada don't have the same anti-theft issue compared to those in the United States, a company spokesperson says, following reports that two American auto insurers are refusing to write policies for older models.
